Quoth the Raven....

Glacia, Wednesday Fandom Time

Raven had asked Hannibal to accompany her to the orphanages she was inspecting today as a way to distract him from his recent troubles. Immersing herself in the welfare of others also helped distract herself from the same, of course, so the trip had a double purpose. Well, triple, since she was very dedicate to her duty of making sure the children of Glacia were well cared for.

There were three orphanages on her agenda for today, two to the north of Sidra, and one to the southwest. She was most concerned about the third, since it was in a province that had been deeply loyal to Hobart, and she had little doubt that many of the aristos there had little care for orphaned children, particularly landen ones. But perhaps she was just being pessimistic and all would be well.

Yeah, right.

[For le cannibal. Warning: dark themes ahead (this is Kaeleer, after all). And the third thread is going nsfw, la.]

The building was in sore need of repair, and the furnishings left a lot to be desired, particularly the beds, for many of the children slept on blankets on the floor. But the staff seemed earnest and caring, and the children healthy and playful.

Hannibal nodded at the children as they came to goggle at the newcomers, particularly his strange clothing. "They seem happy enough; is there a lack of funds here, or a lack of the skills to manage them?"

"Mostly funds, sir," Jenet, a woman who wore a yellow jewel and helped run the orphanage. "We try to raise money, but it goes to food first, and there never seems to be enough left for repairs or new bedding."

"Well, funds can certainly be arranged," Raven said with a gentle smile. She had a budget from Karla, money that had been raised in Sidra before the attack on Karla, and her own money that she was willing to share. She just had to learn to spend it wisely.

"I will arrange for repairs here," she said. "And I would like you to make me a list of things you believe you need here. I will do my best to fulfill as much of it as I can."

"Perhaps you could draw up a list of your expenses for the last several months?" Hannibal suggested. "Then we would be better able to judge what sort of budget you'll need. And determine if the merchants you deal with are treating you fairly."

Too many dishonest people thought they could hide extra costs in an institutional budget. And judging by the state of the orphanage and children, these people had more experience in caring for children than budgets.

Hannibal smiled at a tiny blonde girl peeking around a corner at them, and she giggled and fled. Well, money management could be taught more easily, at any rate.

Jenet shook her head. "I think we've gone over it all," she said. "I'll get all the information you need and send it on to Sidra before the end of the week. I'd say our most pressing needs are for repairs to the building so it's not so drafty, and blankets and mattresses."

"I will do all I can to help," Raven promised. "And as Dr. Lecter said, thank you for your care here. Too many children lost family in the war, and they need all the love and care they can get."

Raven could find little to critique here. If anything, the woman who ran the orphanage was too generous, especially with the sweets she allowed the children to have. She'd taken it upon herself to organize clothing drives to ensure her charges had warm clothing in the harsh winters, and she'd arranged for an apprentice program for the older children so they could learn a trade.

"Commendable foresight," Hannibal told the woman, nodding pleasantly. He turned to Raven. "To what extent do the different orphanages communicate with each other? Those at the last one might be well served by learning from this."

He watched the children for a moment, then added, "And if there are conflicts between the children, or a child is simply a poor fit for a particular type of management, they could be relocated to somewhere more suited to them."

"I am not certain," Raven said, "but that is a good suggestion. The people who have done well in caring for the children can teach those who are in need of guidance."

A young boy toddled over to Raven and tugged on her cloak. "How come your Jewel is on your face?" he asked.

Raven smiled and crouched down to his level. "It is a special sort of jewel, not like the Jewels some people have here," she said. The boy tried to reach out to touch her chakra, but she quickly moved her head back and caught his hand. "No, you cannot touch it," she said, giving his fingertips a kiss.

Hannibal tousled the boy's hair to distract him, smiling. "We come from other worlds. Nobody in my world has a Jewel. And there are no unicorns or winged people, either." He leaned forward as if sharing a secret. "Very boring."

Raven appreciated that, Hannibal. Her chakra was not for touching. Or licking. Except when Karla did it.

The boy wrinkled his nose at Hannibal. "Boring!" he declared.

"Hush, now, don't be rude," Maudelyn, head of this orphanage, said.

She smiled at Raven and Hannibal. "I'd been hoping you would come visit us here, Lady," she said. "I know there's places out there not fit for children, but we do our best here to make sure they're safe and well-loved."

"The ones that do well as an apprentice often are," Maudelyn said. "A lot of businesses around here are family-run. But I do check up on them from time to time just to make certain they're actually being treated as family." The look on her face made it clear just what she'd do to anyone she found treating one of her charges as cheap slave labor.

"I am very pleased with what I have found here," Raven said. "And I will certainly bring it to the attention the Queen."

"This is the one that concerned you most?" Hannibal asked. He looked the building over keenly. It looked perfectly fine from here, but although Hannibal might not have Raven's empathy, he had very good instincts, and they told him appearances could be deceiving in this case.

The memories of the place made Raven's skin crawl. "It was a place where young girls were taken," she said softly. "The things they did to them there were horrible. I visited it in nightmares, but thank Azar it no longer stands."

She glanced toward the building. "There are people in this world who take pleasure in the suffering of others." She, sometimes, was one of them. "Hopefully most have fled when Karla took back her Territory, and I am merely being paranoid."

Raven nodded, then reached up to pull her hood over her head, hiding her chakra. It made her instantly recognizable as Karla's Court Healer, and she wanted to delay that recognition.

They made their way up to the door and knocked. A few moments later, it was opened by someone in the livery of a butler. "Yes?" he said haughtily after taking a moment to note their lack of Jewels (though Raven had a strange feel to her).

"We are here to see the orphanage," Raven said. "I know of a few children I might wish to place here." It wasn't a lie -- if the place was acceptable, she could move some of the children in an overcrowded orphanage to this one. But the fact that a servant was answering the door was puzzling.

Sorry not sorry, whoever you were: Hannibal was better at that game. He gave the man a look that was every bit as bored, arrogant, and amused as years in high society had taught him.

"If the one that holds your leash isn't interested in our business, we can always take it elsewhere. Along with the information on where their money comes from." He looked the man over, becoming more visibly amused. "Or we could let them know where your money is going to." With people like this, greed or fear almost always won out. And there was always something they were hiding.

Raven didn't want to take chances at their entry being refused. She could have announced who she was and demanded they be allowed in, but that would draw attention and possibly allow the ones running this place to flee or cover up what they'd done.

Going with Hannibal's lead, she reached into a pocket of her cloak and pulled out some Glacian coins, at the same time reaching out with a tendril of greed and agreeableness to the man. "No, we do not have an appointment," she said. "But I am sure some arrangement can be made for a tour of the premises."

The butler suddenly became much more receptive as he took the coins from Raven. "Welcome to Hintergrove Orphanage," he said, opening the door further to allow them entrance. "You are selling, you said? Or do you wish to buy as well?"